Communications network class-of-service routing

A method for use in a telecommunications system comprising a plurality of switches interconnected by individual ones of a plurality of communications paths, said method controlling the routing of an incoming call based on a class of service associated with the incoming call, said method comprising the steps of

• storing in memory a translation table formed from a plurality of records each comprising a plurality of fields respectively containing particular parameters characterizing a respective class of telephone service and an associated service identity value indicative of said telephone service,
• responsive to receipt of an incoming call at a respective one of said switches, deriving from information associated with said incoming call a transport capability value and the parameters characterizing the telephone service associated with the incoming call and then translating said derived parameters into the associated service identity value using the stored translation table,
• routing said incoming call to a destination switch as a function of said service identity and transport capability values derived for said incoming call, wherein said step of routing includes the steps of defining, as a function of said service identity and transport capability values derived for said incoming call, a priority level, and
• selecting as a route to said destination switch a route having a current load status commensurate with the priority level derived for said incoming call.

A method of processing a call in a telecommunications system comprising a plurality of switches interconnected by individual ones of a plurality of communications paths, said method selecting a route to a destination switch for an incoming call based on a class of service associated with the incoming call and comprising the steps of

• storing in memory a first table formed from a plurality of records each having a plurality of fields, one of said fields of each of said first table records containing a respective service identity value associated with a respective one of said classes of services, and other ones of said fields containing information associated with an incoming call that is to be routed in accord with a respective one of said classes of services,
• storing in memory a second table formed from a plurality of records each having a plurality of fields, one of said fields of each of said second table records containing at least one pair of service identity and transport capability values and at least another one of said fields of each of said second table records containing a respective routing pattern identity value,
• receiving an incoming call at an originating one of said switches,
• translating information associated with said incoming call into a service identity value and a transport capability value using said first table,
• deriving a respective routing index for said incoming call as a function of said service identity and transport capability values using said second table, and
• routing said incoming call to a destination switch via a path selected as a function of said routing index,
• whereby a new class of service may be readily defined by inserting in respective fields of an available record contained in said first table a respective service identity value and associated call information and inserting in respective fields of an available record contained in said second table the service identity and transport capability values associated with the new class of service and a respective routing index.